I don't know where I originally found this fabulous recipe. It has been in my recipe box for decades and has become one of my favorite specialty desserts. But recipes that go in recipe boxes should be and usually are written on card stock, something stiff enough to withstand removings from and replacements into the box. I made three mistakes when I wrote down this recipe.
The first was to write it on two pieces of plain scratch paper, thin and unsuitable for being folded and refolded and stuffed back into a box that tears at the edges of paper as though with claws.
The second mistake was to use a pen with purple ink that, as it turned out, was very pretty but smeared when it got wet. The paper is now splotched with purple spots and decorated with watery smears of pink-purple features that would do a watercolor artist proud. Some splotches have tints of yellow with them, as though in a chemical reaction of something I spilled with the purple ink.
The third mistake was to write on both sides of the paper so that wherever I dropped water (or something) on one side, the ink would fade to obliterate the writing on the other side. Over the years, the recipe was becoming unreadable, so I used a ball-point pen to write over the words and letters that were fading, but since I didn't rewrite the whole thing (I only rewrote what was missing as it faded and before I forget what it said), part of the rewriting is done with blue ink and part with black. As a consequence, the recipe for zuppa inglese is a piece of art, colorful, ancient, well used, and well loved.
Recipe from this post: Zuppa inglese (recipe also given in "Carberry Creek Bake-off, Part 2," October 14, 2019)
Next week: A Box of Stories (7): "Grandma Viola's Peanut Butter Kisses"
Recipe from this post: Zuppa inglese (recipe also given in "Carberry Creek Bake-off, Part 2," October 14, 2019)
Next week: A Box of Stories (7): "Grandma Viola's Peanut Butter Kisses"
ZUPPA INGLESE
serves 12
Sponge layers
Ingredients
3/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 eggs, separated
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2-3 tablespoons water
Preparation
Line 2 8-inch cake pans with wax paper and grease with butter, or butter 2 8-inch nonstick cake pans. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
To make
Beat egg whites till stiff. Add half of the sugar, gradually, beating all the while to keep the mixture at the glossy stiff-peak stage. Beat egg yolks till thick. Add the rest of the sugar to the yolks, gradually, beating till thick. Then add almond extract and water gradually while beating. Fold in the egg whites very carefully. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt, and, using 1/3 of this mixture at a time, sift it into the egg mixture and fold in carefully—very carefully—with a spatula or the back of a wooden spoon. Air is the only leavening in this cake, so don't lose any. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pans. Bake for 18 minutes at 375 degrees.
Filling
Ingredients
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups scalded milk
4 egg yolks
1/2-1 tablespoon rum
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons creme de cacao or cocoa powder
Preparation
Scald the milk.
To make
Mix sugar, flour, and salt in a double boiler. Add milk, gradually, stirring. Cook over simmering water while stirring (don't let the top pan touch the water) till the mixture is thick. Beat the egg yolks till blended. Gradually add part of the hot milk mixture to the egg yolks while stirring; then return the milk to the double boiler and gradually pour the milk-warmed egg yolks into the milk, stirring all the while. Cook over simmering water, stirring constantly till quite thick. Cool and chill. When the custard is cold and thick, divide it into three parts. To one part add 1/2 to 1 tablespoon rum, to a second 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, and to the third 2 tablespoons creme de cacao or cocoa powder. (Or substitute any flavorings.)
Assemblage
Ingredients
2 sponge cakes
3 bowls of flavored custard filling
To assemble
split the sponge cakes in half horizontally with a serrated knife. Put a bottom layer on a serving platter and spread with one of the flavored custards. Put a second layer of cake over that and cover with a second custard. Repeat with a third cake and the last custard. Put the last layer of cake on top.
Frosting
Ingredients
1 cup whipping cream
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons candied fruits
To finish
Whip the cream with the sugar and spoon over the entire cake. Decorate with candied fruits or other items.
serves 12
Sponge layers
Ingredients
3/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 eggs, separated
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2-3 tablespoons water
Preparation
Line 2 8-inch cake pans with wax paper and grease with butter, or butter 2 8-inch nonstick cake pans. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
To make
Beat egg whites till stiff. Add half of the sugar, gradually, beating all the while to keep the mixture at the glossy stiff-peak stage. Beat egg yolks till thick. Add the rest of the sugar to the yolks, gradually, beating till thick. Then add almond extract and water gradually while beating. Fold in the egg whites very carefully. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt, and, using 1/3 of this mixture at a time, sift it into the egg mixture and fold in carefully—very carefully—with a spatula or the back of a wooden spoon. Air is the only leavening in this cake, so don't lose any. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pans. Bake for 18 minutes at 375 degrees.
Filling
Ingredients
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups scalded milk
4 egg yolks
1/2-1 tablespoon rum
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons creme de cacao or cocoa powder
Preparation
Scald the milk.
To make
Mix sugar, flour, and salt in a double boiler. Add milk, gradually, stirring. Cook over simmering water while stirring (don't let the top pan touch the water) till the mixture is thick. Beat the egg yolks till blended. Gradually add part of the hot milk mixture to the egg yolks while stirring; then return the milk to the double boiler and gradually pour the milk-warmed egg yolks into the milk, stirring all the while. Cook over simmering water, stirring constantly till quite thick. Cool and chill. When the custard is cold and thick, divide it into three parts. To one part add 1/2 to 1 tablespoon rum, to a second 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, and to the third 2 tablespoons creme de cacao or cocoa powder. (Or substitute any flavorings.)
Assemblage
Ingredients
2 sponge cakes
3 bowls of flavored custard filling
To assemble
split the sponge cakes in half horizontally with a serrated knife. Put a bottom layer on a serving platter and spread with one of the flavored custards. Put a second layer of cake over that and cover with a second custard. Repeat with a third cake and the last custard. Put the last layer of cake on top.
Frosting
Ingredients
1 cup whipping cream
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons candied fruits
To finish
Whip the cream with the sugar and spoon over the entire cake. Decorate with candied fruits or other items.
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